Swansea City manager Garry Monk has denied abandoning their tradition for playing attractive football as he closes in on Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup to become the club’s most successful Premier League manager.

Monk made no apology for Swansea’s win on Saturday that was gritty rather than pretty.

They are now eighth and only seven points away from their record points tally in the Premier League, 47 under Rodgers before he was snapped up by Liverpool.

Garry Monk shouts say his team are still playing good football after a gritty win over Burnley

Heaton dives desperately, but his final touch on the ball occurs after it has crossed the line and the goal stands

SUPER STAT

Swansea registered just two shots on target, compared to six from Burnley

Swansea, who beat Manchester United 2-1 the previous weekend, had to rely on a 64th minute own goal from Kieran Trippier and a man-of-the-match performance from goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to take the points at Turf Moor with Burnley feeling they deserved a penalty for a pull on substitute Sam Vokes.

Monk, who will celebrate his 36th birthday on Friday, said: ‘There has been slight criticism that we are changing the Swansea way. Not at all, we are just adding to it and adding more strings to our bow.

‘For me it is a good for the club and the players to have different ways of working. We have played some great stuff over the years but the flip side is if you want to go come to Burnley on a difficult pitch, it is a sign of a good team to grind things out.

‘I can show you a number of games where we have scored after 25 or 30 passes, you don’t get the results we have without playing good football. It is still the No 1 philosophy and my philosophy as well.

Lukasz Fabianksi makes a terrific save from the shot of Barnes to keep the scores level at 0-0 in the first half

Swansea players celebrate Trippier's own goal from Jack Cork's initial shot which won the game

‘But I am trying to make the team adaptable, be effective in certain situations. I am always conscious we are a possession team. In 20 games out of 27 we have had the most possession. We keep the ball and move the ball and that will never change.’

Both Roberto Martinez and Rodgers developed their managerial reputation at Swansea and Monk, a former Swansea player who was a surprise choice to replace Laudrup last season, is aware this season is helping to prove his credentials.

‘To reach 40 points with 11 games left is a bit of a statement from the squad itself, from the club as well, but of course it is a statement from myself. Coming in to this job, I understood it was an opportunity that wouldn’t happen very often at this level.

‘I think I proved my capabilities at the end of last season, this season was about me trying to push on and trying to reduce those doubters.

Former Arsenal shot-stopper Fabianski had an impressive afternoon, his clean sheet to earn three points

‘I just have to trust what I am doing is the right thing. Of course when you get results and achieve things, things like 40 points earlier than you have before, it helps reaffirm to yourself that you are doing the right thing.’

The winning goal was fittingly scrappy, with Jack Cork’s shot hitting Trippier and squirming over the line. Their star outfield performer on Saturday was Jonjo Shelvey who has returned to form after being criticised by his manager for a needless red card against Everton in October.

Midfielder Shelvey won his only England cap in 2012 but Monk said: ‘He can be as good as he wants to be. I am hard on him for that reason.’

Shelvey is likely to be joined by Gylfi Sigurdsson for their game against Spurs on Wednesday where a win will take them to within a point of Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Sigurdsson missed last weekend due to a tight hamstring.

Sam Vokes says Burnley need to pick up points in their next two games against Liverpool and Manchester City

For Burnley, the outlook is more bleak. Ashley Barnes was given a hero’s reception after being slated by Jose Mourinho for a ‘criminal’ tackle on Nemanja Matic but he and the rest of his team-mates looked flat.

The Clarets are in the bottom three with games against Liverpool and Manchester City up next.

Striker Vokes, who had his shirt pulled by Neil Taylor towards the end of Saturday’s game, said: ‘I know you can look at the next two fixtures as bonus games but they’re games we need to pick up points from now because we dropped them today.

‘We have been written off all season and proved people wrong so if we can do that again at Liverpool on Wednesday it will be great.

‘We have gone to the top two in the country Chelsea and Manchester City and got results so we are capable.’